Stamp-affixing machine.



No. 733,074. PATENTED JULY 7, 1903. W. E. NEWTON.

STAMP AFPIXING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOH TILED AUG. 1;, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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Patented July '7, 1903.

ATENT FFICE.

WILLIS EARL NEWTON, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

STAM P-AFFIXING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,074, dated July 7, 1903.

Application filed August 14, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIsEARL NEWTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Stamp-Affixing Machines and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Myinvention relates to improvements in de vices for automatically affixing stamps upon envelops and ofpasting labels upon pack-' ages, boxes, and the like, Its object is to provide a simple, light, durable, and efficient machine in which the stamps are drawn successively into a chamber beneath a verticallyreciprocating plunger adapted to sever the stamps and affix the latter upon the previously-wetted surface of the envelop.

It consists ofthe mechanism hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims,*having reference to the accompanying drawings, 1 in which- V Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a general plan view. Fig. 4 is a transverse section and sectional plan of cutter. Fig. 5 is a plan of clamp mechanism. Fig. 6 is a side view ofclamp mechanism.

A represents a suitable casing open at the bottom and supporting the parts of my device.

The stamps, in the'form of a long tape or strip, are wound upon a roller 2. Theend of the stamp-strip passes between the feed-rollers 2 and the guide-plates 3 3, where itis met and seized by a horizontally-reciprocat ing clamp device which carries on its lower side the moistener 4-, which latter wets the surface of the paper on the backward reciprocation of the clamps. The stamp to be affixed is thus drawn into the chamber .3 over and above the wetted surface, and a subsequent actuation of the handle 5 operates mechanism to sever the stamp and force it down upon the wetted surface. The clamp or jaw mechanism consists of a plate 6, having the lateral projection 7. moving in guideslots in the inner. wall of the casing, The forward end of the plate fiforms a fixed clamp member or lower jaw 9. The complementary upper movable j aw 10 is pivoted on the plate and has a portion extending through a slot 11 and below plate 6. A stop or catch 12 is jaws, as in Fig. 6.

reciprocated.

Serial No. 11 9,644- (No model.)

pivoted also on plate 6 and operates in slot 11 and serves, by means of a spring 13, to press always against the rear end of the jaw-plate 10 to hold the latter either open or closed, as

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional 10 to lock the jaws upon the stamp in the act of drawing the latter forward or between the guide-plates 3 3. The opened jaws 9 10 are accommodated to central cut-out portions in the guide-plates 3 3, so that when they-are brought back to engage a stamp they will at the moment the point 10 of jaw 1i) strikes the end wall of the casing close together on thepaper and grip it in readiness to .draw it into chamber 3. As the clamps move to draw the stamp into chamber 3 the jaw-plate 10 engages the adjustable curved. springguides '15, which are fixed to the casing. These guides ride upon plate 10 to open the The disposition of these guides is such that the engagement with the jaw-plate and the release of the stamp will take place at the moment that the stamp has been drawn the right distance into chamher 3.

The stamp is severed and affixed by the "following mechanism: The case has a vertical thimble portion 16, in which a sleeve 17 is The lower end of the sleeve carries guide-plates 18, andslidably between said platesis' a cutter 19, which is acted upon by a spring 19 (shown clearly in the lower figure of Fig. 4) and adapted to press the cutter always against the front wall of the chamber, so that the cutter will. cooperate properly with the companion fixed member 19 to sever the stamp. The edge of the wallof the casing adjacent to the lower guide plate 3 where the stamp enters chamber 3 is serrated, as at 19, to form a complementary cutter for knife 19. The lower plate 18 has a soft rubber pad 20.

The sleeve 17 has a flange 21, and a helical IOO than spring 22, is interposed between the end of handle 5 and the upper plate 18. Thus handle 5 may be pressed down to compress spring 23 before enough pressure will be exerted to compress spring 22, and so cause sleeve 17 to move. This is for the purpose of allowing the horizontal reciprocation of the jaws to take place before the vertical reciprocation of the affixing device and cutter 19 begins. This coordinate movement of the jaws and plunger is accomplished by means of a rack 24 on handle 5 engaging the pinion 25, which carries two cranks 26, set at right angles, so that there shall be no dead-center. The ends of these cranks are connected by links 27 with respective cranks on a pinion 28, which engages the rack-bar 29, fixed upon plate 6. The vertical reciprocation of the handle 5 prior to the movement of the sleeve 17 is sufficient to move the clamp-jaws, with the engaged stamp, across the space in chamber 33, so that when the cutter 19 comes down there will be an open space for it and the plunger 20 to move through, carrying the stamp downward and affixing its gummed surface upon the wetted surface of the paper.

Moisture is applied to the dampener 4 through a little flexible tube 30, connecting with the reservoir 31, and the flow of water through the tube is controlled by a suitable valve mechanism 32.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in a stamp-affixing machine, of a vertically-reciprocating affixingplunger and a horizontally-reciprocating clamp jaw mechanism, means by which said plunger and jaw mechanism are operated coordinately, and a moistener carried by and op erating in unison with the clamp jaw mechanism.

2. The combination in a stamp-affixing machine, of a vertically-reciprocating affixingplunger, a clamp mechanism by which a stamp-strip is seized and drawn into the path of said plunger, means by which said plunger and clamp mechanism are given a coordinate movement, and a moistener carried by and operating in unison with the clamp mechan- 18m.

3. The combination in a device of the character described, of a vertically-reciprocating afliXing-plunger, a horizontally-reciproeating clamp mechanism, means by which said parts are given a coordinate movement, means for delivering stamps successively to said clamp mechanism, and a moistener carried by the latter and operating in unison therewith to moisten the envelop prior to the descent of the plunger. 1

4. The combination in a device of the character described, of a casing open at the bottom, a Vertically-reciprocating affixing-plunger, a horizontally-reciprocating jaw mechanism by which the stamps are seized successi'vely and drawn into the chamber beneath the plunger, means by which said plunger and jaw mechanism are operated coordinately, a cutter carried by the plunger and a complementary cutter on the casing.

5. The combination in a device of the char-.

acter described, of a casing, a vertically-reciprocating affixing-plunger, a horizontallyreciprocating clamp mechanism by which the stamps are drawn successively into the path of said plunger, a moistener carried by said clamp mechanism, a reservoir integral with said casing and connections between the reservoir and moistener.

The combination in a device of the character described, of a casing open at the bottom, a vertically-reciprocating affixing-plunger, a horizontally-reciprocating clamp jaw mechanism operating coordinately with said plunger, means in the casing for delivering stamps into engagement with said jaws, a spring-pressed cutter carried by the plunger and bearing against the inner wall of the casing adjacent to the point of entry of the stamps and a fixed complementary cutter o the casing.

7. The combination in a stamp-affixing machine,of a casing, a horizontally-reciprocating clamp jaw mechanism, a sleeve slidable vertically in the casing, means by which said sleeve is normally retracted upward and out of the path of said clamp mechanism, a telescoping member in said sleeve and connections between said telescoping member and,

the clamp jaw mechanism by which the latter is given a coordinate movement in relation to the movement of the sleeve.

8. The combination in a stamp-affixing machine, of a casing, a spring-pressed sleeve slidable therein, a plunger carried by said sleeve, a spring-pressed telescoping member in said sleeve, and horizontally-reciprocating stamp-clamping mechanism and connections between the latter and said telescoping member by which said clamp mechanism is operated coordinately with the plunger.

9. The combination with a stamp-affixing machine, of a casing, a vertically-reciprocating sleeved plunger, a spring-pressed cutter carried by said plunger and movable against the inner surface of the wall of the casing, an opening in said wall through which the stamp is admitted, reciprocating clamp mechanism disposed in line with said stamp-opening, a telescoping member slidable in the sleeve of said plunger, and connections" between said member and the clamp mechanism by which the latter is made to engage the stamp and draw it into the casing beneath the plunger in advance of the descent of the latter, means by which said clamps are automatically opened to release the stamp and a complementary cutter disposed in relation tothe plunger-cutter by which the stamp is severed.

10. The combination in a stamp-afiixing machine, of a vertically-reciprocating affixingplunger, a horizontally-reciprocating clamp aw mechanism, said mechanism including a plate slidable in guides in the casing, a fixed jaw on said plate, a second jaw pivoted thereon and means by which said jaws are auto- 12. The combination in a stamp-affixing machine of a casing, an affixing-plunger and means by which a stamp may be drawn into the path of said plunger, said means including a horizontally-reciprocating plate having a fixed jaw at one end, a pivoted jaw movable in relation thereto, stop means engaging said movable jaw by which the jaws are closed on the reciprocation of the plate in one direction,

and means by which the jaws are automatically opened on the reciprocation of the plate in the opposite direction.

13. The combination in a stamp-affixing machine of the casing, a reciprocating affixingplunger and means by which the stamps are drawn successively into the path of said plunger, said means including a plate reciprocable in guides in the casing, a fixed jaw in one end of said plate, a pivoted jaw movable in relation thereto, means by which "the jaws are closed on the reciprocation of the plate in one direction, and means including adjustable spring-guides engaging the pivoted jaw, by which they are automatically opened on the reciprocation in the other direction.

14. The combination in astamp-aflixing machine of a casing, a vertically-reciprocating sleeved plunger, means by which the plunger is normally retracted upward, a member telescoping in said sleeve, spring means tending to separate said telescoping parts, horizontally-reciprocating stamp-clamping mechanism and rack-and-pinion connections substantially as described between the stampclamp mechanism and the plunger mechanism.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIS EARL NEWTON. \Vitnesses:

BETA WERSON, JAMES A. RITCI-IEY. 

